1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an ammunition round containing a load of elongated needle-like finned or unfinned projectiles commonly known as flechettes and, more particularly, is concerned with a matrix-supported flechette load and a method and apparatus for manufacturing the load.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well-known to provide an ammunition round, such as a shotshell, which contains a densely packed load of flechettes in place of ordinary round shot. A flechette typically has a long thin needle-like body with a pointed tip on its leading end and radially-projecting circumferentially-spaced fins on its trailing end like an arrow, or is heavy at the front and lighter at the back like a spear.
Due to their configurations, problems can arise if the flechettes are not properly packed and supported together in the shell casing. Flechette fins are thin and tend to bend upon launching if the flechettes are packed loosely together and inadequately supported relative to one another so as to allow contact between adjacent fins. Once bent the fins fail to properly guide the flechettes after they exit the muzzle of the gun barrel. Also, flechette misalignment and lack of adequate support to withstand accelerating forces can cause buckling and bending of the flechette bodies in the bore of the gun, resulting in undesirable yawing as they exit the muzzle.
U.S. Pat. nO. 3,599,568 to Shellnutt et al, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, discloses one approach to package and support a load of flechettes so as to avoid the above-described problems. In this patent, the projectiles or flechettes are placed in a cup and held in a predetermined alignment therein by a loose filler material, such as granulated polyethylene, dispersed in the spaces present between and about the flechettes within the cup. The loose filler material maintains alignment of the flechettes as they travel down the barrel and emerge from the muzzle of the barrel. However, one major drawback with this approach is the difficulty in accurately assembling the cup, flechettes and filler together and with the shotshell casing.
Consequently, a need still exists for an improved approach to packaging flechettes in a load which will overcome the above-described problems with prior flechette packing techniques.